Mr BBQ

A review update for Mr. BBQ is long overdue. I had mentioned in my first review that that my 4.5 rating would easily become a 5 if the aforementioned issues about artificially sweet spicy sauces and overly salted marinades were addressed, and they were most certainly tended to and fixed.
There’s this study done out of Stanford that states that a customer’s rating in restaurant reviews is largely dependent on how he/​she feels [they were] treated. Mr. BBQ understands this phenomenon completely. This establishment shines above any other Korean BBQ experience because of their stance on superior customer service. I wish I remembered the name of our last server because he stood out as even the best of the already very good cadre of servers.
In a fairly short amount of time in existence, Mr BBQ has found its place in Unilocal’s Top 100 places to eat in the U.S. That’s phenomenal considering its young life. Its recognition is well deserved. It seems like they are putting a lot of hard work, heart, and fun into what they are doing. Passion always reveals itself! :-) …and makes for an exemplary customer experience. It’s always a good, light, and happy time here. Five very well-​deserved stars!

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE KBBQ PLACE!
The wait during lunch time is around 10 – 15 minutes which isn’t bad at all.
The interior is very clean, it’s very similar to Gen.
Once we were seated, ice cold water was brought out immediately and our waitress began taking our orders.
This place has, hands down, the best service that I’ve ever recieved at any kbbq place. They’re super fast when bringing out new plates of meat unlike Red Palace and always refill our banchan without us even asking! I was so happy with our service, it’s honestly so rare nowadays.
We got the basic like brisket and bulgogi which were both delicious!
They even had steak, mussels, and squid. There are also FOUR types of pork belly on the lunch menu and they were all fantastic!
The potatoe salad and japchae were my favorite along with the pickled radish and kimchi. There’s an abundance of banchan to choose from and they were suprisingly, ALL delicious and enjoyable. I even ate the salad, which I never do at any other kbbq place.
Since it was my friend’s birthday, we asked then to sing for her after our meal. The WHOLE entire floor staff came out with like tambourines and a bazooka (is that what it’s called? Idk) and sang Happy Birthday to her. They were really fun and made our experience really memorable.
I love this place and will definitely be back for the fine service and delicious food!

This place is definitely different than 2 years ago. The meat, not the best, was actually AOK. The service was amazing… except for the guy who kept turning down the flame. They change the pan frequently without you asking. Kinda pricey for the quality, but the service was superb.
Overall, the changes have been for the better. I would definitely suggest coming for lunch to save a few bucks. Overall, I am a fan!

Mr. BBQ, huh? Why does it have to be a Mr? Why can’t it be Mrs BBQ? Are you implying women don’t eat as much meat? That’s racist.
(MRAs and feminists, please feel free to send me plenty of hate mail for whatever reason you see fit. I feed off your negative energy)
I’m going to be honest with you all, I enjoyed this place, but not to the extent that it should be considered the 27^th best restaurant in the country (according to Unilocal,which is grain of salt incarnate). The only real standout here was the service, which was excellent without even needing a bell system to call for people. We were always attended to in the best way.
What you ultimately get is a pretty good selection of meats for a higher price than you find elsewhere. Nothing was bad, but there was no high quality meat here that would blow any other KBBQ place out of the water. I suppose you might get something a bit more transcendent if you went for the super premium menu, with the filet mignon and scallops, but at over $ 30 per person it seems excessive.
The wait was a bit long. They do their best to accommodate with plenty of seating in the foyer and playing cards, but it doesn’t change the fact it was a bit of a wait.
Oh, while I’m on the subject of the foyer… the bathrooms. I was able to figure out which was men and women because I knew the symbols (the circle and t and circle and arrow). But if you don’t know those symbols have fun guessing. It doesn’t specify any other way. I think that might even be a violation in regards to accessibility, since blind customers would have no way of determining (no blue triangle and circle signs to help you out). But then I’m not with code enforcement.
It’s not the best thing ever (certainly not deserving of best in the country), but it’s decent if you’re in the area and don’t mind waiting. I would by no means go out of my way to hunt it down though.

Good food and great service!
I love the food there! They have tons of different kind of meats and other food items like cold noodles, which is suppose to help with digestion. The limitless appetizers are really good too! There’s also dessert at the end. I think it’s usually a scoop of ice cream.
The servers are super nice and patient. I had a hard time cutting up the sirloin steak cause it was too thick, so the waiter helped me cut it.
It does get kind of loud. There’s always a lot of people there, so the wait is kind of long. We waited around an hour or so before we got seated. There used to be valet parking but they don’t have it anymore. The parking lot is small and gets really congested. Luckily, they have seats and tables with games that you can play while waiting.

My friend recommended this place to us and a group of 10 went yesterday. I heard there are long lines, but we were able to go on a Wednesday lunch time and we had no wait.
Service was great, especially when they came around to change out the grill frequently. Only downside was the nasty bathroom. Food was good.

If you don’t mind the longggg wait or the longgggg drive from Los Angeles… you have found the best Korean BBQ in Los Angeles. I didn’t think I would say that but all places are not made the same.
First the service here is OUTSTANDING. They don’t rush you. there is no time limit. They actually provide service and cook and cut for you. This is not typical for all you can eat places. They change your grill multiple times so you aren’t susceptible to a burnt grill for cancer.
I would not be a fool and order anything but the premium all you can eat package (it’s a little pricier at $ 31 per person) but the filet mignon, ribeye, scallops, and salmon are WELL WORTH IT.
Oh and the flavored soju isn’t alcoholic but delicious. Lemon and yogurt were really good.
The side dishes are okay… not my favorite. Steamed egg was meh. the Korean tofu jigae was below standard.
They didn’t seem to have a charge for not eating all your food but I can’t see you doing this when it’s such high quality meat.
You will be covered in Korean bbq smells and oil (from the splatter from the grill) but it’s a good covering. :)

Probably my favorite AYCE Korean BBQ joint so far in the OC! (Disclaimer I don’t eat Korean BBQ too much though)
The meat is good quality but they also have a variety of sauces if you need more flavor. I think they offer the best variety of ban chan (the side dishes) and you can also ask for tofu soup or steamed egg. You also get free ice cream after your meal
The wait can be long so hop over to the bar next door while you wait, the buzzers reach to the bar so you’ll know when your table is ready
NOTE: they make the entire staff sing for you on your birthday

Holy crap was this delicious! First timers and our server (Won) was patient and amazing at explaining how the restaurant worked … We ordered with our eyes and couldn’t finish it all lol… The server warned us to pace ourselves … Food –1: Us-​0
There was not a thing we didn’t like right down to the dressing on the salad … The meat had amazing flavor, the octopus was nice and spicy…
Highly recommend this place and would def come again …

My favorite AYCE KBBQ ever. I loved it so much that I went here TWICE in one weekend. Yes, I did. Don’t judge.
Currently, this place is listed #27 on Unilocal’s Top 100 restaurants list for 2016, which is much deserved. So why do I love this place so much?
Food:
The meat quality is spectacular, and there’s so many options to choose from. I’m so OBSESSED with their beef belly that it’s probably dangerous for my health. Dip each slice in some sesame seed oil. So good. The first time I was there, I ordered like 4 plates for myself. Their different flavored pork bellies were amazing as well. I also really liked their tongue, which is surprising, since I’m usually not a fan. Other notable items: sausage, mussels, brisket. Their bancan was decent — I liked their japchae a lot.
Service:
Honestly, the best service I’ve had in a KBBQ restaurant. In fact, the best service I’ve ever had in a restaurant in general. In the first night, I was there with a group of friends on a busy Friday night. The waiter (Andrew) was extremely efficient, friendly, and funny. He gave us free samples of flavored soju. He was attentive to all of our needs, and always served us with a smile. He even anticipated our needs (it’s like he could read our minds…) — knew when we wanted to order more food, knew when we wanted to change our grill). I’m amazed. I don’t think I’ve ever tipped so generously in my life.
Plus, they have the best birthday surprises here! I took my sister two days later for her birthday. They wanted to see her ID, but I told them it would kind of ruin the surprise. As long as their birthday is within that week, they will accommodate. What I love is that they’ll play a Happy Birthday song, then play some random hip hop /​EDM /​rap song and have their entire staff dance in front of you. It’s quite amusing, and I love it. They also will give everyone in your party a little icecream dessert.
Advice: The wait times range from 1 – 2 hours. They’ll give you a device that will alert you when your table is ready. You could always go to the bar nearby, and have a few drinks as you wait. Or play some board games in the waiting area.
On the weekends, the dinner price applies (+$ 20).
Also the parking lot is limited. Just circle around or follow people that look like they’re leaving.
I love you so much Mr. BBQ. I will be back.

While trying to figure out which Korean BBQ joint to eat during my visit, I found Mr BBQ and suggested to friends to try it… thankfully, it was first time for my friends as well.
— Parking — sucks; it gets busy and you will need to stay in your car until parking lot becomes available. Thankfully, as we pulled up, a car left so I lucked out!
— Waiting — yeah… its part of the game, but waiting 90 minutes to eat is not worth it… but we waited because none of us tried here before and after waiting an hour, whats extra 30 minutes?
— Options — higher price gives you access to other meat options, which we all opted for, but personally, it’s not worth the price for the extra meats.
recommend:
— beef belly (#3) & Wagyu Nookgansal (#5)
would NOT recommend:
— Scallops — previously frozen; it has odd taste; only ordered it once.
— Yangnyum Galbi (marinated beef short ribs) — not sure if we ended up on a bad day, but their galbi has more fat then meat.
— filet Mignon — was tough to eat; same with NY Strip Steak.
If you are paying the $ 31.99, then its worth trying all options, but honestly speaking the $ 24 will be fine for you.

I’ve always seen this place and never really checked it out. But I haven’t had Korean BBQ for a while so decided to come here. For a week night the wait was 20 mins which isn’t that bad considering the large crowds. We were able to get a large table and got the PAYCE $ 23.99
I recommend getting on menu:
1. Thin Sliced Prime Beef Brisket
3. Premium Beef Belly
6. Premium Marinated Choice Sirloin
10. Teriyaki Chicken
13. Finely Sliced Pork Belly
21. Master Link’s Portuguese Hawaiian
25. Fresh Shrimp
What I love about Korean style food is the spread. So many varieties of small plates and colors. I knew I was at the right place when the majority of the table was covered in food and you can’t fit all of it in a picture haha. I love there fresh salad, kimchi, potato salad, and relish paper. And mini soft serve ice cream at the end of the meal. Sooo yummy!
The young staff always changed the grill, refill our plates/​drinks, kept everything clean and asked if we wanted more food. We never had to flag them down, yay! They sing happy birthday if it’s your birthday and play the drums haha. It seemed like a marching band. Pretty fun!

This restaurant is #27 for Unilocal’s top 100 restaurants of 2016 in the United States.
Since the 26 restaurants before aren’t Korean BBQ restaurants, that makes Mr. BBQ the #1 KBBQ place in the United States of America, beating out the Gen KBBQ branch.
I think this restaurant earned it. The meat quality is amazing. There are many different options of meat to try. Some of my favorites are the different flavored pork belly, and the beef belly. The side dishes are good, not spectacular, but just okay.
The thing that makes this place stand out the most is the service. I’ve had good service at KBBQ restaurants before, but the attention and care of the people who work here was enough to make me almost cry of joy. Also, if it’s someone’s birthday, they will dance and sing for you and give you and your guests free ice cream.
The only downsides are that the parking lot can get really full. I got really lucky because there was only one spot when we went. Also, it is $ 20 on the weekend, regardless of time you come.
I’ll be back. The 45 minute drive is worth it!

Unilocal challenge 2016 (⁶⁵⁄₁₀₀)
Honestly I wasn’t sure why a lot of people like this place. Maybe it’s because it’s the only kbbq place in Fullerton? Or it’s very similar to Gen.
AYCE Dinner is $ 24 for the lowest one. I guess you get a lot of options. Maybe the reason why I didn’t like this place was because their brisket was not that good. It was so hard and chewy. The Bulgogi and the Premium Cut Sirloin were both good. The Premium Cut Sirloin was pretty tender. The Mr. BBQ (marinated sirloin) and the Finger Short Ribs were just average.
The ambience looks so fun because of the music and lights. The workers also come out and dance when it’s your birthday. I would’ve gave 4 stars but the service was not that great. The lady in the front said it could be 30 – 40 min wait because the rest of my party wasn’t there (we were the only ones waiting). Also, we always had to flag down our server. She was watching the tv for a good 5 minutes while we were trying to get her attention.
I may be back when I want kbbq in Fullerton. But definitely not my go to place

Came here around 4:30 on a Saturday night. There were people waiting for a table already. First they said the wait is 30 – 40 mins but we got seated in about 15 mins.
All the meats we ordered were very good. I like the marinated short ribs the most. I got the soy bean paste soup this time and I enjoyed it.
The salad and the side dishes were fresh.
Service: friendly. they checked on you frequently and offered to change out grills without asking.
Parking: could be hard to find on the weekends.
We parked at the CVS parking lot and walked over.
Go early and you should not need to wait too long on the weekends.

Came here around almost 9:00 PM with my group of hungry friends. The hostess told us we are on a wait of 40 – 50 minutes. We waited for like 20 minutes and saw a lot of people left the restaurant… WTH… We walked in to ask if she could seat us yet and she said 20 more minutes. Seriously!!! There were like 5 empty tables and she still wouldn’t let us in and no one else was waiting except us :(I was kind of annoyed and after 12 more minutes went by, she let us in with another group that spoke Korean to her… that just walked in !!!
The food here is your typical ayce Korean Barbeque but slightly better than Gen. Don’t get me wrong, the price reflects why too. You can either choose $ 23.99 or $ 31.99 for your meat options. The waiters here are not very responsive since we were not seated till almost 9:20 and they’re closed at 10:00…they need better management !

I have always been a fan of kbbq and this place did not disappoint me. Came here at a weekend on a lunch, had to wait around 30min. I love how there is cards and a four in a row game on the waiting area, I did not feel the wait time because of this :).
Their meats are really of high quality (expected since price is pretty expensive). I do like how they have so much choices on their menu that everything you would want on a kbbq place would be here.
In regards to the ambiance, I felt very comfortable as the design was magnificent, well spaced and doesnt feel to crowded once you are on your seat.
The waiters were very fast and its easy to ask for water or get the next order you wanted.
All in all, its not the best kbbq I’ve tasted so far but its definitely worth a comeback!

Korean BBQ on Valentine’s Day and where do we end up? Mr. BBQ.
Service was attentive and the selection was incredible. The restaurant is huge and the staff changed out the grills regularly and seemlessly.
All the meats we ordered were well flavored and because the grills were updated so often we really got the meats cooked well and quickly. The banchan were good but I’ve had better.
This place is great and despite how crowded it was the wait wasn’t too long and I’ll likely be back if I’m ever in the area again.

We came here for my nieces birthday. I had pretty high expectations since Mr BBQ is one of the top 100 restaurants on Unilocal.
They have a large selection of banchans! That’s always a huge plus for me.
They have a large selection of meat. Everything was delicious! I also tried the steamed egg, tofu, and bean paste stew. The winner out of those three is the bean paste stew. It was so flavorful. The tofu soup was bland. The steamed egg was also good.
The service here was spectacular and really set them apart from the other AYCE bbq restaurants.
For my nieces birthday they flickered the lights and sang to her. She was so happy! Everyone got a free scoop of icecream.
My family really enjoyed our meal here and we will definitely be back in the future.

«It is at this time that I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. BBQ!»
*then I wake up from my delicious dream*
Listed at #27 on Unilocal’s Top 100 Restaurants this year, my girl friends and I had to dine here for Valentine’s Day. It was the BEST idea! Let me tell you why:
— $ 2 valet so you don’t have to worry about parking
— They have seats and tables in the waiting room
— Very clean restaurant
— Friendly, fun, and attentive service
— Lots of TVs
— Great variety of meats and seafood items
— Sweetest/​best shrimps I’ve ever had
— Ice cream dessert to end your meal
Best $ 25 AYCE KBBQ ever! For Valentine’s Day, they even offered to take a picture of your table and print it out for you. What a sweet deal!